College is quickly approaching for the incoming freshmen. Many seniors, who plan to attend college next year, have already decided where they will be going to school in August. It is very important to find a roommate that you believe you will get along with in a small space for an entire school year. I mean, have you heard the roommate horror stories where the roommate ends up being a crazy cat lady, flushes your pet fish down the toilet, or steals your clothes? Trust me. You do not want your roommate to be a shot in the dark.  Here are some steps to help you through the process of finding the best roommate for you.

1. Set Up

The first step to finding a roommate is setting up one of the roommate search accounts. Almost all schools have one of these, in order to help you find someone who is also looking for a roommate. The website will ask you what your interests are, how neat you are, and how focused on your education you will be. Once you fill this out you can start looking!

2. Reaching out

When you finish the survey for this site, it will automatically give you matches of people that would be a good fit for you according to how you filled out the survey. You can then message them and start to get to know them and see if they would really be a good fit for you. Many

schools also have Facebook pages for the incoming freshman class in order to help them get to know people before move-in day. Finding a roommate is remarkable similar to online dating!

3. Decision Time

Obviously you can have only one roommate (I mean, it is a very tiny space), so now comes the time where you will decide who you think will be the best person for you to live with for an entire year. Many factors will play into this. Questions you may want to ask yourself: Who seems like they will become your best friend next year? Who has the most in common with you? Are they messy and you’re a neat freak? Or, are they a neat freak and you’re very messy? Questions like these, and more, are what you should run through your head before you decide to room with someone.

4. Pop the Question

Now comes asking them if they would like to be your roommate too . If they “swipe left,” that’s okay. There a tons of other people still out there looking for roommates, and you are bound to find someone that is a better fit for you, so KEEP LOOKING!

5. Putting down your deposit

Once you find your roommate, it’s time to put down your housing deposit. You and your roommate will need to decide which dorm to live in, if you want another roommate, or two, and then select your room. Finally, you and your roommate will need to put a deposit down to secure it!

Obviously a lot goes into finding a roommate and making sure that you are set for next year in sharing that small dorm space with someone that you like. Now you two will need to discuss how you will design your room, and that is A LOT of fun! Congratulations on finding a roommate and GOOD LUCK!